Lemon meringue pies in a jar are great for summer picnics, barbecue and more. Everyone gets their own personal serving! These sweet treats are great for a cookout or any special dinner, and gluten free. They are great as a unique dessert, and can be lidded to take on-the-go.

DIRECTIONS

For the crust, grind the granola into crumbs with a blender or Cuisinart. Melt the butter and combine with the crumbs, and divide amongst the jars. Tamp down lightly and bake for 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

For the filling, combine all filling ingredients and pour into the jars.

For the meringue, combine the meringue powder with the warm water in a metal or glass mixing bowl and let set for 2 minutes, then begin whipping at high speed with mixer, slowly adding the sugar until stiff peaks appear - approximately 5 minutes. Lightly spoon meringue atop filling in jars, making sure to cover the entire filling surface area. (I like to use a large one to spoon the mixture in, and a small one to “push” the meringue off of it in to the jar, for more placement control.) Clean the rims with a damp cloth, removing any filling or meringue.

Bake filled jars on the oven rack in a 325 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Note: You can use your own meringue recipe with egg whites; I find that using the powder, as shown above, has less risk of yolk contamination and is easier to work with.